The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-07-27
BILL NYE MEETS A CITIZEN.
&c Draws From Him a Sad Story of
Modern Journalism.
From The Neu York World.

scenery and advertisements which greet
the enraptured eye along this great scenic
1oute. Together We inhaled the thousand
,,iors of hot, sour alleys, and damp cellars,
and together we looked into the second
story rooms where poverty lay painting in
the awful heat that had accumulated all
dav and now shut down with the night like
a sitting garment
He said something and then I said some
thing, and before long we were conversing
with each other a great many converse
lions have no doubt originated i'll this way
incidentally we got to talking about
the press and what Il great influence it
welded, and so forth, and then he said if |
would never mention his name he would
tell me of an incident that occurred some
wears ago when he first came to New York.
He said;
II generally aim to let the papers alone if
they'll let me alone, but when | first came
here a friend of mine brought me slip that
he had cut out of prominent morning
paper in which my name was used III a way
that made me mad. While there was no
gross misstatement of facts, my name was
handled in way ! dcspse, and SO l went
right down to the office of the paper. Be
fore went / told my wife about the piece
aud that was going down to see about it.
She saw that | was excited and size became
alarmed She hung on to me quite "a while
and said she wished | wouldn't go Wehad
always got along SO well, and since we had
been married had never killed anybody,
and she wished | would take her advice and
not 90, but | was thoroughly indig-
uant and mad So | went down, and
at the counter l asked TO see the editor
The Young man at the window where |
went was counting the words in Want
advertisement, and it was a long time be
fore could get his eye. Then he said in a
brief, cold way that the editorial rooms
we're on the fifth floor. I did not like his
way, and would have been glad to lick
him if | could have got over into his cage,
but I couldn't. Then went to the eleva-
tor. | was going to get in, but the elevator
boy, who weighed about nineteen pounds,
put his hand against my person and gently
pushed me out.
"'You can't go upstairs without stating
your name and your business and who you
want to see Here is card that you can
ill out
81 knew my own name, Of course, and
could put that on the card; also my bust
ness. but | didn't know the name of a
blamed man on the paper. All | could do
was to say that | wanted to see the editor
That was kind Of a general statement, but
thought it would be all right. Meantime
the elevator had made several trips and
could feel my collar getting soft | was
still mad, but had to control myself, so L
asked the elevator boy if he would mind
taking that up to the editor, and l gave him
the card.
HE said would have to be more explicit,
If | wanted the city editor, or the marine
editor, or the literary editor, or the birth
and death editor, or the polo edi-
tor, or the scrapping editor, [ would
find them in, but the managing editor
and the telegraph editor and the night edi-
tor and the mirth editor and the bathing ed
tier We're all out.
II did not know who | ought to see,
but got desperate and sent up my card to
the scrapping editor. 1t was wild thing
to do, but did it. for | thought | could see
him. and if | did not feel like fighting him
could postpone it the way other pugilists
did
II had to wait quite awhile before l
could see the fighting editor, for he was busy
with some other men who, presume, had
dropped in to lick him early, so as to be
home for lunch.
FINALLY | went in and found a small,
good natured man that | could have han
died without any trouble, but when stated
my business ne said that it was not in his
line at all, but that ought to go to the city
editor. BY that time the city editor had
gone to lunch. | waited for him till | got
so hungry myself that | thought | vo IL
tall apart
when he came he had about nineteen
men to talk to all at once for an hour or so ;
then he let me in and | told him what the
trouble was. He didn't remember any such
story in the paper as | spoke about, but
would find out about it and see what re-
porter handed it in. Meantime he would
advise me to write out a statement of my
side Of the case and leave it there. He
would investigate the matter when the re-
porters got in in the evening
II went to long table and wrote most all
the afternoon on piece which was not so
Scathlng when [ got through with it as
thought 1t was going to be, so | tore it up
Then l wrote another one. 1t was quite
bltter, but not SO bitter as wished it had
been. 1t had tame places in it where it
seemed to all fiattcn out and fail to get
There. l never suffered mentally SO much
Ill my life and now and then when | wiped
my brow on the tail of my linen coat l could
see mat the city editor seemed to enjoy it.
by dusk had completed an article that was
carefully written aud yet | did not expect
that 1t would be copied very much. 1t was
inclined to be ornate in its system, and still
There were words in it like 'eggregious,' for
instance, that didn't feel sure had spelled
right. 1t was now night, and | went home,
leaving my article for the morning paper
ana feeling proud that | was getting
ulXed up with literature.
My VITO was anxious to find out if had
eehybody's gore on my hands before | won't
INTO dinner, but | convinced her that my
heart was still pure and guiltlcSs but that ]
nad written piece for the paper that would
SUR up the town in the morning
=, That night didn't sleep much, and in
Ine morning | got up early and waited
around the corner for a paper. | looked it
Ia9rough hurredly, but didn't find my piece.
ho5t everything else was there but that,
uoWeVer. 1t was crowded out! Probably
ne misunderstanding editor had a
piece that he wanted TO run in in place of it,
ana owing to his influence he had succeeded
! was greatly irritated. / had lost one day
IRON my business, but | decided to 60 down
70 The Office again and see what the matter
was
This time got to the city editor at once,
out 1t was another man. The city editor
IIaa seen the day before had gone TO Conoy
!SSa'ld, SO had to go through the Same
iAIng all over again. lie thought | had
"'uof write q statement that would show
ny site of the case and then he would ask
.'c reporters who it was that had handed in
inc story and we would have it rectitied
Some way.
lie was very pleasant man, but told
mlll had spent the day before writing q
Iod-Lot rebuke which had not been printed,
E'lu could not give my whole time TO
IooInaiism | told him that was in the
zee cream business and that had been at
m'Eed by the paper and wanted TO be set
lsuNN / ! 4